Out Of Hours With…Francesco

Our ‘Out of hours with…’ series gives you the chance to discover Stylighters’ hobbies outside the office. You would (maybe) never imagine what our API Developer Francesco is passionate about…

What’s your role at Stylight?
I am Francesco, from Spain. I work as an API developer, but I also do Android development from time to time. My job is to link the Stylight mobile apps with the rest of the backend services of the company.

Any hidden passions or hobbies?
My not-so-hidden passion is painting and drawing 🙂 I mostly only paint using oil now, but I have tried a bunch of different mediums, like watercolour or acrylic. I even tried sculpture once! But it was a disaster… I love figurative painting, mainly portraits.

When did you first start your hobby?
As a child I was really terrible at drawing or any art-related activities, so I had never really thought about painting until I met a painter by chance once, when I was 20. He really insisted on me trying oil paintings despite me telling him I was not good. He taught me some basic techniques and, amazingly, the first paintings I did were… well, a disaster, of course. But somehow I really enjoyed it and I kept at it.

What does it bring to you?
What I like most is that I can stay away from anything with a screen for a while! It is very relaxing and while I paint I don’t really think of anything else. Plus, it can be really gratifying when you get some decent results. Sometimes it can get frustrating too, when things don’t come out as expected, but it’s important not to give up, especially when you are starting.

Please define your passion in one hashtag
#paintanyway

The power outfit to rock it?
Oil stains are really, really hard to clean, so what I usually wear when I paint are old comfy clothes that I don’t really care if they get dirty. It has also happened too often that I didn’t change clothes before painting and ruined some decent t-shirts or jeans. Back in Madrid, I used to have a pair of trousers that had so much paint on them that they were starting to look like an abstract painting themselves. I really liked how they were looking so I drew some faces over them. They were my favourite!

Any advice for someone who would like to start?
I would tell anyone who is starting to paint now not to get discouraged if the outcome is not what they expect in the beginning. It takes some time, but results eventually come. I definitely recommend taking some drawing or painting lessons. I didn’t and I always learned by trial and error, but I think it’s not a smart thing to do! You can make faster progress if someone guides you. Also, if you are starting, consider using acrylics instead of oil paints; they are much easier to work with and cheaper!

Who or what is the social muse you like to follow?
My two favourite artists are Egon Schiele and Amedeo Modigliani, and they both lived in the beginning of the 20th century, so I can’t really follow them anymore!
But there are some amazing artists right now:
– Mateja Petkovic
– Guim Tio
– Henrik Uldalen
– Some good portraits in Death of a Coworker and Menorca Pulsar

Anything you would like to add.
I didn’t upload many paintings yet, but you should follow me on Instagram.